Relationships Among Emotional and Intellectual Overexcitability, Emotional IQ, and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

This study focuses on intellectual and emotional overexcitabilities and their relationship to emotional intelligence and subjective well-being. Dabrowski’s (1964) theory of positive disintegration (TPD), which proposes that optimum personality development involves the breaking down of current psychological structures, in which individuals consciously investigate their values, emotions, behaviors, and personalities, provided the framework for this study. Emotional intelligence was examined as a possible mediational factor in the relationship between emotional and intellectual overexcitability and subjective well-being in undergraduate students. Participants were 144 undergraduate college students who completed surveys that included demographic information and measures of overexcitability, emotional intelligence, and subjective well-being. Path analysis results indicated that all fit indices supported that the overall model was an adequate fit for the data. In addition, all paths in the model were positive and significant, indicating that greater emotional and intellectual overexcitability were significantly and positively related to higher emotional intelligence and that higher emotional intelligence was significantly positively related to higher subjective well-being. These results provided support for the mediational role of emotional intelligence between emotional and intellectual overexcitability and subjective well-being.

Keywords:

• college students
• Dabrowski
• emotional intelligence
• emotional IQ
• emotional overexcitability
• intellectual overexcitability
• positive disintegration
• well-being

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kerry Beduna

Kerry Beduna, MA, is a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Ball State University. She earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Ball State University and her undergraduate degree in psychology from Hope College. Kerry is a student member of the Society for Counseling Psychology and has been a member of the steering committees for the planning of the National Counseling Psychology Conference in 2014 and the Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference in 2015. Her research interests include giftedness, perfectionism, attachment, emotions, bullying, and college student issues. E-mail: [email protected],

Kristin M. Perrone-McGovern

Kristin M. Perrone-McGovern, PhD, HSPP, is a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services at Ball State University. Dr. McGovern is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association Society for Counseling Psychology. She teaches graduate courses in counseling skills and theories and supervises the research and clinical practice of students in the APA-approved Counseling Psychology doctoral program and the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program. Dr. McGovern’s current research focus is on the integration of neuroscience and counseling. Her interests include cognitive and affective neuroscience, IQ and giftedness, attachment, work–family interface, and interpersonal relationships. E-mail: [email protected],